It’s International Merlot Day, so today we’re highlighting this soft and elegant wine.

It’s somewhat controversial, because if it’s not made right it can be pretty dull, and the 2004 movie Sideways definitely slandered it a little: “If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!” notes the main character, Miles.

But a good Merlot is a great wine – so you should definitely give it a chance when you’re out wine tasting, or pick up a mid-priced bottle at the store.

In the meantime, I’ll drop some Merlot knowledge on you!

Merlot Fun Facts

• Merlot means The Little Blackbird in French
• It’s the second most popular red grape in America (after Cabernet Sauvignon)
• It is believed that the first time the Merlot grape was used in making wine was in the late 1700s when a French winemaker in the Bordeaux region formally labeled the grape as an ingredient in his Bordeaux wine blend
• The combination of a bold Cabernet Sauvignon grape and the soft Merlot grape complemented each other so well that the pair became the main ingredients for the French Bordeaux blend
• The grape arrived in California in the mid-nineteenth century
• Instead of being blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, American winemakers began making wines using 100% Merlot because the grape grew easily and Americans enjoy the softness of the fruit on its own, and its low tannin levels
• Merlot is often recommended as the first red wine someone new to red wine should drink because it’s an easy drinking red that goes well with food and on its own
• In the United States, Merlot is primarily grown in California, New York, and Washington State
• Merlot contains at least 13.5% alcohol, but can approach 14.5% — especially when it is grown in a warmer climate (Australia, California, or Chile)
• The wine is generally smooth with notes of plum and chocolate

What’s your favorite Merlot wine? I’m definitely partial to Chateau St. Jean, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards (who actually makes the claim as the first to plant Merlot in Sonoma Valley in the 1970s), and, of course, Lambert Bridge Winery.

Cheers!

“Wine is bottled poetry.”
– Robert Louis Stevenson

Sources:
Vine Pair